The Malawi Project, Inc.

Trotwood, Ohio … At the regular monthly meeting of the City Council for Trotwood, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio Commodations were extended to the Trotwood Fire and Rescue unit and Suzi Stephens RN, the Medical Director for the Malawi Project. The plaque and letter was given to Mrs. Stephens as a result of her life saving assistance to a 48-year-old heart attack victim on July 7, 2007 when he experienced full cardiac arrest. The emergency took place during the wedding reception for the man’s nephew  married only a few hours earlier. As a result of the seriousness of the heart attack, the victim, spent 12 days in Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton and experienced a number of continued cardiac complications before being fitted with an internal defibrillator.

    Fire personnel noted that in less than 5% of the cases where they make a run to a complete cardiac arrest situation do they revive the patient successfully. They accorded the success of this particular situation to the quick action by Suzi Stephens when the man suddenly fell to the floor.

    The Mayor of Trotwood presented Mrs. Stephens with their congratulations and awarded her a plaque in recognition of her efforts. He commented that if he were to fall victim to a heart attack she was the person he wanted standing next to him. Local NBC television affiliate Channel 2 covered the event, as did the local newspaper.  At the ceremony the man met and thanked Suzi in person for saving his life.  He is expected to fully recover from his near death in July.

Bookmark this page:

Part of the Council for the Handicapped Program

    The Bangwe Weaving Factory opened in 1976 as a result of the creation of the Malawi Council For The Handicapped (MACOHA) by an act of the Malawi Parliament in 1971 (Chapter 35:02) under the administration of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda the First President of the nation. With the advent of MACOHA came a series of nationwide programs and initiatives designed to find ways to support and assist the handicapped to live full and productive lives. Programs were put into place in every region of the country by the Administration.

    MACOHA continues today to carry out the same mission for which it was chartered when the Republic was in its infancy. The familiar mission statement in some of its literature repeats a page from the past. MACOHA functions today "as a government implementing agent responsible for services and programs designed to improve the livelihoods of persons with disabilities."

    As one of its functions MACOHA oversees the activities of the Bangwe Factory. The factory is located just south of the commercial center of Blantyre, and has a capacity to employ about 150 people of which 75% have varying degrees of disabilities. A disastrous fire a few years ago destroyed much of the equipment and placed in question the future of the facility and its workers. Since then it has been a long, difficult climb up from the ashes. The program continues to run short of equipment and supplies for all of the handicapped people who need the resources it can offer. Currently there are 100 men and women with disabilities being trained in hand weaving, screen-printing, tailoring, embroidery, tie-dyeing, carpentry and other trades that lead to productive lives.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bookmark this page:

    It started in 1998 when Jenny Church from Indianapolis, Indiana USA made a quilt for her employer to take to Malawi and give to a needy family. When the Stephens couple returned that year they brought Jenny a picture of the recipient of her first donated quilt. Her story appeared on the Project’s web site and was also featured in a story in the Indianapolis Star newspaper’s coverage of the Malawi Project’s work in Africa. When people learned the plight of the peaceful, poor people of Malawi they reacted.

    Across the U. S. women started making quilts and blankets for the Project. One of these groups was the Busy Bee Quilting Group in Greenwood, Indiana. The 85 members of the group started working for Malawi in a big way, led by the efforts and interest of Mrs. Suzanna Miller.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bookmark this page:

    Namikango Maternity Clinic was built in the trading center of Thondwe in 1973-74. Thondwe is located just a few miles east of the city of Blantyre, the commercial center of the nation in the southern region of the country. Between 60 and 80 babies a month are born in the facility. Mark Thiesen, an American missionary working on the complex reports, "Namikango Maternity Clinic exists to provide safe deliveries, looking out for the well-being of mother and child." This fact becomes evident when the visitor steps inside this aging, but well kept facility.

    Upon entering the Clinic one is immediately struck by the cleanliness of the facility as well as with the professionalism of the staff. Both testify to the training and supplies that compliment the facility. Where government facilities are plagued with a lack of trained personnel and supplies, Naminkango appears to be head and shoulders above the average on both counts. Beds are made and ready for the next patient, and all of them have relatively new mattresses, clean sheets, and colorful blankets. Equipment is clean and sterilized and ready for use at a moments notice. One quickly realizes that with an additional influx of more supplies this facility can be an even greater asset to the area it served. Everywhere the equipment is clean and neat although there is a need for a number of upgrades. There is evidence of leaks in the ceilings and the recognition that help is needed for the aging facilities is evident upon close inspection. In spite of the needs the staff is doing an exceptional job in giving pre-natal and birthing care to a large number of women from the area in and around Thondwe.

    We learned from Mark that the clinic’s aging roof needs replacement.  The Malawi Project board of directors immediately approved the funds to replace the roof before the rainy season begins.

Bookmark this page: